By Howard Packowitz

NORMAL – Normal Town Council members believe they’ve figured out how to avoid a hefty increase in property taxes next year, and perhaps temper some of the criticism leveled against elected leaders for raising taxes.

“You’re not making Normal, Illinois an affordable place to live,” said Craig Stimpert, one of five people who spoke out during Monday night’s council meeting.

“This taxing madness has to stop,” Stimpert said.

The council is willing to step back for a year from the goal of funding employee pensions at 100 percent by the year 2040. Instead, the town would fund pensions at 90 percent, which is the minimum amount required by the state.

Mayor Chris Koos and Council member Kathleen Lorenz suggested a temporary change on pension funding.

“The 100 percent is certainly above and beyond, and that’s usually what we try to do in terms of being better than just normal or average, but in light of the situation of some of the mechanisms that have caused the bump this year, I don’t know that we have that luxury,” Lorenz said.

The council unanimously backed the change despite Council member Kevin McCarthy’s reservations about kicking the can down the road.

“I’m not very flexible about funding our pensions,” said McCarthy.

Council member Chemberly Cummings also agreed to what she said was “one-year hiatus.”

“Because we have been so responsible, and we want to continue to be responsible, it does give us an opportunity to go back to the drawing board and re-think some things and ask some additional questions,” said Cummings, who’s running next year as a Democratic candidate for the 105th District State Representative’s seat now held by Republican Dan Brady.

The council was much more divided, voting 4-3, to adopt Stan Nord’s idea to find almost $100,000 in additional spending cuts to reduce the tax levy to this year’s level of just under $13 million, down from the original $13.6 million levy.

“The best thing we can do for our economy, for businesses, for people living here, is lower our taxes. If it’s only for one year, let’s take advantage,” said Nord.

McCarthy, Koos, and Cummings voted against Nord’s amendment.

Based on expectations for a 1.25 percent boost in taxable land values, town staffers now estimate the owner of a $165,000 home would see an increase of just $7, instead of an extra $37 next year had the council adopted the larger tax levy.

Howard Packowitz can be reached at [email protected]